Number: 2000-07
WHEREAS, the extensive former grassland and prairie ecosystems are among the most threatened ecosystems in North America as a consequence of conversion to plowed agricultural land, degradation by livestock overgrazing, urban sprawl, and fragmentation; and
WHEREAS, the restoration of these systems to more naturally functioning conditions is a priority that should be acknowledged by agricultural programs of the government that influence these lands; and
WHEREAS, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is the most effective current federal program for grasslands preservation on private lands in South Dakota and elsewhere in prairie states; and
WHEREAS, the CRP has a 36 million acre cap on enrolled acres which limits the utility for this program to preserve grassland habitats at the necessary scale and, consequently, results in further deterioration of privately-owned grasslands unable to be enrolled; and
WHEREAS, lands important to grasslands restoration include lands that have been plowed for production agriculture as well as unplowed lands used for grazing but the latter are unable to be enrolled in the CRP; and
WHEREAS, cost of enrolling lands in the CRP currently represent a significant barrier to participation; and
WHEREAS, current CRP enrollments are limited to 10 and 15 years, and whereas at the end of the 10 to 15 year period of time part or all of the land in CRP must be farmed before being re-enrolled; and
WHEREAS, a large portion of lands that are important to grasslands restoration are privately owned;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in its Annual Meeting assembled March 16-18, 2000, in Seattle, Washington, supports the development of new partnerships between government and producer interests that provide positive incentives for restoration and preservation of the nation’s privately-owned grasslands by modifying and expanding the current Conservation Reserve Program and by the development of new programs that include the use of perpetual grassland easements; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation supports the selective and priority use of farm producer subsidies to protect and preserve the most ecologically significant grasslands habitats with special consideration being given to habitats important to threatened and endangered species of plants and animals; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation urges minimizing cost barriers to entry that deter the enrollment of the most ecologically significant grasslands into these partnership programs, and support adequate funding for development and implementation for these new programs.